The Stogie Guys

Famous Smoke Shop, a Pennsylvania-based online cigar retailer, recently launched a new exclusive blend called La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age. Today, courtesy of our friends at Famous, we’re giving away a couple 18-count boxes in the Toro format (6 x 54).

Gilded Age is an extension of the famed La Gloria Cubana brand originated by the legendary Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. It features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, Honduran binder, and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos of the viso and ligero varieties. Four sizes are available at Famous—Churchill, Magnum, Robusto, and Toro—with singles in the affordable $5-7 range.

My full review of La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age is forthcoming, but I didn’t want to hold off on the opportunity to give away two boxes to a couple lucky readers. So, to enter for your chance to win, here’s all you have to do:

— Leave a comment below about your favorite experience with La Gloria Cubana.
— Make sure you’re registered for StogieGuys.com’s free email newsletter.

That’s it (though, if you’re interested, you can read our contest rules and regulations here). Good luck, and special thanks to Famous Smoke Shop for making this giveaway possible.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Chicago has no shortage of great tobacco shops, and Blue Havana is no exception. Located about 10 minutes south of Wrigley Field by foot, the tobacconist boasts a wonderful selection and the city’s largest humidor (over 700 square feet).

Bolstering Blue Havana’s position as a premier cigar destination for the region are two new exclusive smokes that are set to debut imminently. Both are crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Nica Sueño in Estelí by Skip Martin of RoMa Craft Tobac. Many of you will recall that RoMa Craft’s portfolio includes Intemperance, CroMagnon, and Aquitaine.

The first of the two forthcoming Blue Havana exclusive cigars is called Ouroboros (named after an ancient symbol depicting a dragon eating its own tail). Available in one size (6.25 x 52) for $8.50, it has a Mata Fina wrapper from Brazil, an Indonesian binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Only 40 boxes of 12 will be produced in the first run.

The second Blue Havana cigar is Abaddon (the name given to the dwelling place of the dead in the Hebrew Bible). It has a dark, oily, slightly mottled Nicaraguan hybrid (Criollo/Corojo) wrapper from Nicaragua, a Mata Fina binder, and filler tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Like Ouroboros, only 40 boxes of 12 are being produced—at least for now—and all Abaddon cigars are in the same size (6.25 x 52). The price is $8.15 apiece.

After clipping Abaddon’s cap and establishing an even light on the closed foot, pre-light notes of sweet chocolate transition to a profile of coffee, black pepper, nut, and a flavor that reminds me a little of fennel. The texture is thick and leathery. Despite the fragrance of the unlit cigar, only a trace of sweetness is evident on the palate. While I could go on trying to name the various flavors that jump out at me, the bottom line is this: Abaddon is balanced, interesting, and, above all, complex.

It maintains my attention throughout the long, slow-burning experience, and the physical properties do not detract from my enjoyment. The draw is moderate, the smoke production solid, and the burn line straight.

Abaddon is one of the more interesting cigars I’ve smoked this year and, no, I’m not giving it extra points just because it’s ultra-exclusive (or because it’s from my hometown). With a wonderful fragrance, unique flavors, and solid construction, the sample I smoked for this review assures I’ll be heading to Blue Havana to pick up more once it’s released in September. For those outside Chicago, Blue Havana tells me they are working to accommodate phone and/or online orders, so keep your eyes open. For now, Abaddon merits a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

The Cameroon wrapper has a few spots, but perhaps that can be overlooked given that this is a wrapper that was grown 33 years ago. The cigar is balanced, creamy, and toasty with a decent bit of wood (more oak than cedar). The medium-bodied smoke is dominated by a sour-sweet-spice combination that’s quintessentially Cameroon, showing that even this old wrapper from 1980 can unload a lot of flavor. The construction is superb. Yes, while $25 each is a lot for any cigar, given how rare it is to smoke a cigar with a wrapper grown before I was born, it’s not outrageous.

Verdict = Buy.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Each Saturday and Sunday we’ll post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of “buy,” “hold,” or “sell.”

Tatuaje’s La Casita Criolla is a line I never really gave a fair chance, for one reason or another. So I recently decided to light up a Corona Gorda (5.6 x 46) that had been resting in my humidor for about six months. What I found was a cigar that burns well, produces ample aromatic resting smoke, and tastes of dry, gritty earth. Often sharp and sometimes a bit hot and harsh, this Connecticut broadleaf puro isn’t a bad smoke, but it probably won’t be working its way into my regular rotation anytime soon.

Verdict = Sell.

–Patrick A

photo credit: N/A

You wouldn’t know it by talking to the cigar vets who routinely sing the praises of trendier blends, but Macanudo remains the best-selling brand in the U.S. And now Macanudo is “embarking on a new journey,” according to Alan Willner of General Cigar.

The new direction is Macanudo Estate Reserve, an annual limited edition that aims to challenge the perception that Macanudo is only for rookie cigar fans who haven’t yet graduated to the fuller-bodied, more complex smokes on the market.

The inaugural Estate Reserve celebrates 45 years of Macanudo. To compose it, “General Cigar’s artisans sourced a delicate Connecticut Shade wrapper from an independent grower, and built an outstanding blend around it,” according to a General press release. “Unlike any other Macanudo cigar, the binder and filler are strictly Dominican, cultivated throughout the island, and aged for at least 8 to 10 years under the watchful eyes of seasoned tobacco experts.”

Three sizes are available for the super-premium price range of $16 to $18 apiece: No. I (7 x 50), No II (6 x 52), and No. III (5 x 50). Each is “individually encased in wooden coffins and elegantly sealed with gold foil.” Only 3,000 boxes of 10 will be made in each size.

I sampled several of the Estate Reserve No. III format for this review. This is a beautiful frontmark—as you’d expect for the price—with a wrapper leaf that’s clean yet wrinkled enough to suggest some age. The golden band is striking and highly detailed. Only the slightest notes of sweet hay are apparent pre-light.

After setting an even light with a couple wooden matches, a mild profile of dry cedar, almond, and cream emerges. The texture is surprisingly sharp yet there’s predictably zero harshness and very little nicotine kick. As light as the flavor is, this is one of those reserved, subtle cigars that still offers a fair amount of complexity. And the interplay between spicy cedar and sweet cream makes for an enjoyable experience, especially as that spice ramps up towards the end.

The Macanudo Estate Reserve No. III’s physical properties are as you’d expect from a super-premium manufactured by General Cigar: excellent. The burn line, draw, and ash are all nearly perfect.

I don’t know how many seasoned cigar enthusiasts are going to fork over $16 to try a robusto from Macanudo. And that’s what makes this such a difficult cigar to rate. I like the cigar itself, but I find the price to be excessive based on the return. Something tells me a lot of the $16 cost can be attributed to the (admittedly gorgeous) packaging. And there’s too many fine Connecticut Shade smokes on the market for a fraction of the price. In my book, all this adds up to a rating of three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you were going to name a rum after anyone’s boat, it’d have to be Earnest Hemingway. Hence this new rum, Papa’s Pilar, named after Hemingway’s 38-foot yacht named “Pilar”—inspiration for such literature as The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in the Stream.

It’s a new rum (officially launched last month in Washington, DC), but the team behind it is hardly inexperienced. Leading the charge is Jay Maltby, formerly an executive with Bacardi and Cruzan.  He is joined by Lincoln Henderson, longtime master distiller at Brown Forman (Woodford Reserve and Old Forrester) and currently the innovator behind Angel’s Envy, which has gained a loyal following for its bourbon (and now rye) that is finished in a second barrel after traditional aging.

Henderson’s participation is particularly notable since Papa’s Pilar adopts a similar finishing process. Papa’s Pilar Dark is an 86-proof combination of “solera blended” rums (sourced from Florida, the Caribbean, and Central America) up to 24 years old and finished in Spanish sherry casks.  The 84-proof Blonde combines similarly sourced rums aged 3-7 years, also finished in sherry casks.

Papa’s Pilar Blonde is amber-tinted and features a unique nose of grapefruit peel and pineapple. The palate is a smooth and flavorful combination of lemon meringue, cake batter, and grass, reminiscent of agricole-style rhum. With plenty of sweetness and a short finish, it’s a vibrant bit of the tropics that can be enjoyed straight or as the basis for a special cocktail.

Papa’s Pilar Dark is a dark bronze color with a strong nose dominated by molasses, with added hints of sherry and oak. On the palate it has more dark, syrupy sweetness with powdered chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and oak. The finish is long with plenty of sherry-influenced notes.

These are two excellent new rums with plenty of sweetness, each distinct and polished in its own way, not to mention reasonably priced at $30 and $40, respectively. And each calls for a distinct style of cigar.

The Blonde variation pairs well with a mild or medium Connecticut-wrapped smoke (such as the Davidoff Grand Cru, Illusione Epernay, or Cuban Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill). The well-aged Dark rum calls for full-bodied, earthy Nicaraguan cigar (like a Drew Estate Liga Privada Único Serie Velvet Rat, Tatuaje Black, or Padrón Serie 1926).

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Here are ten things I took away from this year’s International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Trade Show in Las Vegas:

1. There seems to be no limit to how large a cigar ring gauge can be.

2. Altadis and General are committed to maintaining their positions as industry giants.

3. Selling cigars is hard work.

4. Sam Leccia is still a rock star in the industry.

5. Retailers want to meet with manufacturers to talk about cigars, not just prices.

6. I’ll never understand why humidor makers continue to use analog hygrometers.

7. Lots of folks want to be in the cigar business.

8. Print isn’t dead in the tobacco industry. More than a half-dozen magazines had booths.

9. The brands assembled in the House of Emilio make up quite an impressive collection.

10. Class and company size are sometimes related, sometimes not.

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys